Electrically-printing type-writer.



No. 699,784. Patented May |3,.l902.

B. A. BROOKS.

ELEGTRICALLY PRINTING TYPE WRlTER.

(Application filed June 19, 1900.) (No Model.)

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BYRON A. BROOKS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ELECTRlCALLY-PRINTING TYPE-WRITER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 699,784, dated May 13,1902.

Application filed June 19, 1900.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BYRON A. BROOKS, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of New York city, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kingsand State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Electrically-Printing TypeWriter, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

My invention relates to an improvement in type-writers designed to beoperated with paper which is charged or coated with a layer of materialof such character that it is visibly changed in character wherever it isacted upon by a current of electricity. By using material of this sortin a machine as hereinafter described the usual printingribbon may beentirely omitted.

My invention comprises the novel features which will be hereinafterdescribed, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to beflhad to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in both the figures.

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of sufficient parts of a type-writerto illustrate my invention; and Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of portionsof the type-writer, illustrating the means adopted for making electricalconnection with the platen.

Certain combinations of materials incorporated with or placed upon paperhave the property of changing their color whenever acted upon by acurrent of electricity, so that by making the printing-bed an electricalconductor and connecting this bed with one side of a battery and thetype with the other side of a battery letters may be printed upon thepaper by bringing the type in contact with the paper, so as to close thecircuit from said type to the printing-bed through the paper. The exactcomposition of the materials used for this purpose does not form anypart of my present invention, and as this product is one which is knownin the art particular description thereof is not herein given.

The drawings herein given show an exemplification of my invention inwhich the usual features of a type writer of one type are 50 shown.

Serial No. 201784, (No model.)

It will be understood that my invention may be applied to any of theusual forms of type-writers, and I do not, therefore, wish to be limitedto its use upon thev type illustrated or to the exact constructionherein shown when applied to that type.

In the drawings, A represents the typewriter frame; B, the carriage; D,the body of the platen, and O a sheet of paper being printed upon. Theplaten or roller about which the paper passes is provided with a layer Eof material which ordinarily is composed of hard rubber and which issomewhat yielding. Outside of this is placed a thin layer F of tin-foilor any similar material composed of a substance which will form anelectrical conductor. of the construction shown a metal cylinder may beemployed and. the paper he placed in direct contact with the surface ofthis cylinder. The construction previously described and which isillustrated in the drawings is one which is designed for utilizingtypewriters as at present constructed, and especially in connection withmachines already built.

At one end'of the carriage D is placed a metal spring or brush G, whichis supported upon an insulating-block g and which bears upon one end ofthe platen, making contact with the foil covering F of said platen. Atthe front side of the carriage is placed a bar I, which is supportedfrom the carriage by means ofarms H, which are insulated from thecarriage by means of blocks 71. The bar I is connected by a suitablewire I either directly or through the medium of one of the arms with thebrush G. This bar extends parallel with the direction of travel of thecarriage and contacts with a spring or brush J, which is mounted uponthe frame of the type-writer and insulated therefrom by means of a blockJ of any suitable material.

The type-writer frame and the brush J are connected, respectively, withopposite ends of a battery K by means of wires and 7a, so that the foilcovering of the platen forms one end of an open circuit and the body ofthe typewriter forms the other end. In the construction illustrated thefoil covering F is ef- It is evident that instead 7 fectivelyinsulatedfrom the body of the frame by means of the layer E of rubber placedbeneath it. In case a metallic cylinder were used this cylinder wouldhave to be insulated from the carriage or the carriage insulated fromthe frame of the machine in any suitable manner. The type-levers L beingelectrically connected with the frame, whenever one of them is raisedand its type made to contact with the paper on the lower side of theplaten the circuit is closed through said type and the foil covering Fand the material in the paper is changed by the current of electricitywhich passes through it, so as to form aletter corresponding with thelettercarried by the arm L which was operated.

It is evident that the particular means adopted for securing the contactbetween the typeand the platen is immaterial and that therefore myinvention is applicable to any form of type-writer. The form hereinshown is simply given as an illustration of one of the forms, said formbeing chosen among the many, because it is one of the most widely usedforms.

It is evident that with a machine operating upon the principle hereinshown the usual form of ribbon is avoided. Moreover, when the paper hasthe substance which is acted upon by the electrical current incorporatedwith the body thereof the change in said material passes entirelythrough the paper, and it is therefore impossible to change the writing,and it is also possible by using more than one sheet of paper to produceduplicate copies each of which will be exactly alikethat is, one copyexactly as strong and as permanent as the other. For manifold copiesthis is evidently much better than the use of sheets of carbon-paper, inwhich the carbon copies are not as permanent as the outer or original.

The words type-writer and type-writing machine as herein used areintended to mean a machine provided with a series of characters whichmay be successively presented at a common printing-point in any orderdesired to print a series of lines on a sheet, the sheet and type havingrelative movement in one direction to form a line and in a direction atright angles to that to form successive lines, irrespective of Whetherthe types are connected or disconnected, whether the impression isproduced by a movement of type or platen, and whether the type or sheetbemoved to form lines and successions of lines.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent 1. A type-writing machine having alongitudinally-traveling paper-carriage,means for supporting the papertherefrom, a platen, types, the platen-surface and types being ofelectrically-conductive materials normally insulated from each other andadapted to receive the paper between them, means for selecting thedesired type and for bringing the selected type and the platen intocontact with opposite sides of the paper at a common printing-pointwhereby the circuit is closed through the paper, and connections fromplaten and types to opposite poles of an electric battery.

2. In a type-writing machine the combination of a platen, means forsecuring the paper thereto, types, keys and means controlled by saidkeys for selecting and successively impressing the types upon the paper,the platen and types having electrically-conductive surfaces insulatedfrom each other and adapted to be connected with opposite poles of anelectric battery.

3. A type-writing machine having a platen for the reception of thepaper, types, the platen-surface and types being ofelectrically-conductive materials and adapted to be respectivelyconnected with opposite poles of an electric battery, keys for selectingand presenting the types at a common printingpoint, and means forcausing relative movement of paper and printing-point to print asuccession of lines upon the paper.

4. A type-writing machine having a longitudinally-traveling platenprovided with a metallic foil covering insulated from the types, meansfor securing the paper upon the platen, types, means for selecting andpresenting the types to the platen to print a series of lines, and meansfor connecting said foil covering and types respectively with oppositesides of an electric battery.

5. A type-writer having a platen-carriage and a platen provided with anelectricallyconductive surface, types and means for selecting andsuccessively presenting the types at a common printing-point, means forcausing the types to be impressed upon the paper to print a series oflines, an insulated bar and a brush engaging with the platen, onecarried by the carriage and the other stationary, a brush connected withsaid bar and engaging said conductive surface on the platen and abattery connected from opposite ends respectively with the bar-engagingbrush and with the types.

6. In a type-writing machine the combination of a platen having anelectrically-conductive surface, means for securing thereto a sheet ofchemically-prepared paper, a series of types, said platen and typesbeing elec trically insulated from each other and adapted to beconnected with opposite poles of an electric battery, and means forbringing said type successively in contact with the paper upon saidplaten at a common printing-point, whereby a current of electricity iscaused to flow through said sheet of paper at the point of contact ofsaid types with the platen.

7. In a type-writing machine the combina tion of alongitudinally-traveling paper-carriage, a platen having anelectrically-conductive surface insulated from the types, a plurality oftypes and means for presenting them atacommon printing-point, saidplatensurface and types being connected with opposite poles of anelectric battery.

8. In a type-writing machine the combination of a plurality oftype-carriers and means for bringing them successively in contact withthe paper, at a common printing-point, a platen having anelectrically-conductive surface insulated from the types, the types andplaten-surface being connected with opposite poles of an electricbattery, and means for causing relative movement of platen andprinting-point to form a series of printed lines.

9. In a type-Writing machine the combination of alongitudinally-traveling paper-carriage, means for securing the paperthereto, types, an impression member cooperating with the types, keys,means controlled by the keys for selecting and presenting the types at acommon printing-point and means for impressing the paper between thetypes and the impression member at said common printing-point, saidimpression member and the types having electrically-conductive surfacesI mutually insulated and adapted to be connected with opposite poles ofan electric battery.

10. In a type-writing machine the combination of alongitudinally-traveling paper-carriage, means for securing the paperthereto, types, an impression member adapted to cooperate with theselected type to form a printingcouple, keys, and means controlled bythe keys for selecting the types and suc-

